Have you been in a motor vehicle accident that was not your fault? If you were, you are not alone. It has been estimated that once every 120 seconds. someone is injured in an accident that was caused by a driver who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Other research has shown that, during daylight hours, at any given time there are about 660,000 people driving around while they are distracted by their mobile devices or the sound systems in their cars and trucks. If one of these drivers has left you hurt you may have a case for a personal injury lawsuit. Here are things you need to do, from finding the right personal injury attorney to get the right documents together to be successful with your case.
Get the medical treatment you need. As soon as you can, you need to get the treatment you need for your injuries. In the first place, quick medical intervention can make a big difference in the outcome. In the second place, you will be able to use all of the documentation from the medical professional to augment your case, help your personal injury attorney and get you a better outcome. Lastly, if you do not get medical treatment right away, it may look like you did this to make your injuries look worse to get a bigger settlement. This will hurt, not help you.
Talk to your friends and family. Given the very litigious nature of our society, you probably know at least one person who has sought out the help from a personal injury attorney. By far, the best way to get decent products and services is through a personal referral. You may not end up using the same lawyer your friend or family member hired but this can get you started in the right direction.
Ask lawyers you know. Talk to lawyers you know. You cannot use the great divorce lawyer who helped you but they may know of good personal injury attorneys that practice in your area. It is always a good idea to ask the question.
Document everything. If the police were called to the scene of your accident, you can get their report. If you can, get photos, video and any other evidence from the accident itself. Talk to witnesses, write down what you remember. The more you have to show that you were not at fault, the better. If the other driver was arrested, you can use that in your case. You also need to document all of your medical issues. Keep a journal of your experiences. At the time, you may think that you will never forget the pain you are in but you will. Keep all of your receipts. If you take a taxi or Uber, to your medical appointments. keep those receipts. Tell the people treating your medical problems about the lawsuit and they can give you records to help.
Get the right kind of lawyer. Like doctors, lawyers specialize. You need a personal injury attorney but even under that umbrella, there are different kinds of specialists. There are truck accident lawyers, car accident lawyers even motorcycle accident lawyers. Some personal injury attorneys may handle a few of these subspecialties but you still need to ask.
Take advantage of the free first consultation. Most law firms offer free consultations to prospective clients. You should take advantage of this and go in armed with a ton of questions. Do not forget to ask:
- How long have you worked in personal injury law?
- How much of your practice is devoted to my kind of case?
- What made you go into personal injury law?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of my case?
- How much experience do you have negotiating cases like this? At least 95% of personal injurt lawsuits are settled out of court so your personal injury attorney needs to be good at negotiating.
- What is your fee structure like? Some law firms will only charge a fee for these cases if they win but there may be other costs.
If you do your due diligence before your case begins, you will have a better outcome.
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